THE ZOUGA. 39 



with every one, two of the Bamangwato, who had been 

 sent on before us by Sekomi to drive away all the Bushmen 

 and Bakalahari from our path, so that they should not 

 assist or guide us, came and sat down by our fire. We had 

 seen their footsteps fresh in the way, and they had watched 

 our slow movements forward, and wondered to see how we, 

 without any Bushmen, found our way to the waters. This 

 was the first time they had seen Bamotobi. "You have 

 reached the river now," said they ; and we, quite disposed 

 to laugh at having won the game, felt no ill-will to any one. 

 They seemed to feel no enmity to us, either; but, after an 

 apparently friendly conversation, proceeded to fulfil to the 

 last the instructions of their chief. Ascending the Zouga 

 in our front, they circulated the report that our object was 

 to plunder all the tribes living on the river and lake; but 

 when they had got half-way up the river, the principal man 

 sickened of fever, turned back some distance, and died. 

 His death had a good effect, for the villagers connected it 

 with the injury he was attempting to do us. They all saw 

 through Sekomi's reasons for wishing us to fail in our at- 

 tempt; and, though they came to us at first armed, kind 

 and fair treatment soon produced perfect confidence. 



When we had gone up the bank of this beautiful river 

 about ninety-six miles from the point where we first struck 

 it, and understood that we were still a considerable distance 

 from the JSgami, we left all the oxen and wagons, except 

 Mr. Oswell's, which was the smallest, and one team, at 

 Ngabisane, in the hope that they would be recruited for the 

 home journey, while we made a push for the lake. The 

 Bechuana chief of the Lake region, who had sent men to 

 Sechele, now sent orders to all the people on the river to 

 assist us, and we were received by the Bakoba, whose lan- 

 guage clearly shows that they bear an affinity to the tribes in 

 the north. They call themselves Bayeiye, i.e. men ; but the 

 Beehuanas call them Bakoba, which contains somewhat of 

 the idea of slaves. They have never been known to fight, 

 and, indeed, have a tradition that their forefathers, in their 



